Muse
by Dancing-on-a-Darkened-Page
Summary: Before time stopped the world was ruled by the benevolent Muses who were both ghost and human. After time stops, almost all ghosts and humans are slaves to Pariah Dark. Things seem hopeless until a group of 4 teenagers once called A-listers stumble upon a girl sleeping in a crashed satellite. Who is she and does she hold the key to freeing both the worlds from Pariah Dark.
1. Prologue

Most people thought that half ghosts were simply that, half human and half ghost. In reality they are so much more than that. _They are living, breathing Genius Loci_. They allow both humans and ghosts to feel stronger and sharper. They are powerful, immortal, and dangerous, but the worlds would not be the same without them.

First came Ambition, cunning and ruthless clothed in white with black hair that curved into wicked horns, he sought to devour everything and possess that which was out of his grasp. Twenty years after, Soul was born to counteract the hunger of Ambition. He was young, but strong, with piercing green eyes and snowy white hair. His one desire was to protect the innocent and lead them out of darkness. The next created were his companions, Art and Innovation, both of which were brought into being by the actions of other spirits. Unlike her violent stepfather, Undergrowth, Art could harness nature's own beauty to inspire ghosts and mortals, and the combined efforts of Desiree and Technus meant that Innovation had to merely imagine a new device to make it part of reality. Even Soul's older sister became the muse Philosophy when she faced down the mad mortal Freak Show to defend her brother.

Later on Ambition's meddling would create the final two muses, Strategy and Music. Music was an innocent child that Ambition had created as a muse using the DNA of Soul and Art, but they readily accepted her as their daughter and made sure that she was well protected from Ambition's plots. Strategy, however, was a warrior dressed all in red that staunchly supported Ambition until he revealed his true nature to her. She had already become a muse and was frightened and confused by her power until Soul and his family took her under their wings and guided her out of the shadows.

Soul was indisputably a leader to most of both worlds, carefully settling disputes and ending invasions before they began. His friends became his family as he drifted apart from his parents, settling into the position of Soul without taking advantage of it. Life became good for the six Phantom Muses, so called because Soul was also known as Phantom when he took ghost form, and in the peace they began to let their guard down. Unfortunately, Ambition was waiting to strike.

Ambition was not content to let Soul have the respect and power that he felt rightfully belonged to him. In his jealousy, Ambition betrayed both Earth and the Infinite Realms by releasing the tyrant Pariah Dark from his sarcophagus. At first it seemed that Ambition was an equal to Pariah and the Fright Knight as they used their cunning and skill to trap one muse after the other in prisons specially made for them, but the tables were quickly turned on Ambition as he was stripped of his power as a Muse and enslaved to Pariah.

As the vibrancy of the Muses' rule faded to gray and Pariah conquered both dimensions Clockwork, the master of time, had no other choice than to freeze time in both worlds. All beings still moved and lived their lives, but they were un-aging and undying, without inspiration or free will. Both the living and the dead were hollow shadows of what they once were and there was no hope of freedom for either.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey, thanks to DannyFenton123 for the review. Here is some stuff to help clarify:**

 **1\. All the Muses are half ghosts even if they were not in cannon**

 **2\. If the Muses can't do their jobs then their influence fades. At the beginning of the story, Music might as well be white noise to any ghost or human listening because Danielle, who is the Muse of Music, is basically in a coma. Without the Muse involved with an ideal that ideal just becomes sort of dormant.**

 **3\. The first chapter was basically a prologue. Each of the Muses is matched with a trait that I think fits them best. Vlad is always scheming so I made him Ambition. Danny fights to protect what he cares about and out of love for those he is protecting; it is such a part of him that it is his Soul. Tucker likes new technology which makes him Innovation. Psychology ties into some aspects of Philosophy for Jazz. Sam made Danny's symbol which matches her with Art. Valerie eventually started planning her attacks instead of just rushing in which made her Strategy. I went with the fanon that Danielle is genetically the daughter of Sam and Danny and Music is an art form that the artist can use to express their soul.**

 **4\. Humans are basically oblivious to the fact that half ghosts/Muses (with the exception of Vlad) exist. As far as they know, five kids who were all friends went missing around the time Pariah took over. None of them know that Danielle exists and they will address any freed Muses by their human names until the muse titles are revealed.**

Paulina was sick and tired of working at the sweat shop day in and day out. It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that she looked terrible. Papa had not wanted her to be made a courtesan in the Ghost King's palace so he had hacked her hair into an ugly mess with a pair of dull scissors and destroyed all her makeup and beauty supplies. The only other girl on the cheerleading squad to do the same was Star, and though she did love her friend, Star had a reputation as a ditz.

Paulina sighed, at least tomorrow was the one day that she didn't need to work, she thought so anyways. The sun still rose and set every twelve hours, but it seemed like the seasons never changed and the people never aged. However many weeks (or was it months?) that passed since Pariah took over the world made no difference. Every seven days or so all citizens were given a day of leisure, as long as they remained within their designated areas, but, like most citizens her age, Paulina and her remaining friends were going to explore the bombed out ruins of civilization.

It was an open secret that most individuals left their designated areas on leisure days and with the human guards also having the day off it was not likely that they were going to get in trouble. Almost everyone above ten and below twenty-six would be out and about scavenging for clothing and items that reminded them of what life was like before, but today Paulina and company had things to do besides fighting over a torn shirt or deflated football. Today they would be escorted to one of the few remaining strongholds of the human resistance. Even better, their rendezvous was with two of the resistance leaders, the Fentons.

After the final bell called an end to the workday Paulina fell into step with Star, "So, will we leave as soon as I say goodbye to Papa?" Star gave her a look.

"The rendezvous is half way across Old Amity, Paulina," scolded Star, "If we want to get there and back before we're missed we have to leave as soon as we meet the guys."

The guys were Dashiell Baxter and Kwan Ishiyama, two people that at first glance were shoo-ins for positions in the military, until you factored in Kwan's pacifism and Dash's complete disrespect of authority. Instead of being drafted after Pariah's goons screened Casper High for potential threats the pair of former jocks was assigned to work in the fields that were once a national forest. Kwan kept his head down and did his job, but Dash's loud mouth earned him some serious lashes with a whip that Kwan had to treat. They were happy to meet up with the girls on the first rest day and for the most part the quartet spent their free time trying to help neighbors that didn't have the strength to forage on their own.

Two hours later the four teens were making their way through the old central park in the fading light of the evening. After they had encountered three ghostly guards traveling through the outskirts of the old business district the group decided that cutting through the overgrown park would be safer. Unluckily just as they were approaching a broken down playground they found themselves surrounded by a pack of near feral humans, some of the unfortunate souls who had gone insane when the Ghost Armies invaded.

Wholly unprepared for such a vicious attack they braced themselves to go down swinging when suddenly there was this brilliant flash and a nearby explosion. The shock wave scared off the pack and knocked the former A-listers to the ground and once the lights died down the group made their way closer to the impact crater.

Looking down into the ruins of a satellite they noticed a damaged pod near the center of it. Carefully sliding down to get a closer look Dash and Kwan removed a broken solar panel to reveal a broken glass tube with a young girl sleeping inside it. She had white hair and was wearing a black and white outfit that bore a very familiar symbol. Half in awe Kwan reached down to touch the sleeping girl's face only for his hand to go right through her. "Kwan? What's wrong," Asked Paulina.

"Go get the Fentons," Said Dash.

"-But," started Paulina.

"Go!" shouted Dash, "And tell them that we found a ghost that looks like Phantom did!"


	3. Chapter 2

The first thing that Danielle noticed as she woke up was that she was asleep in a hard wooden chair. The second thing that she noticed was that she was apparently hand cuffed to the armrest. Needless to say that caused her to panic for a good five minutes until she took a good look at the kind of handcuffs that restrained her. "Oh, Fenton Works," commented Dani as she changed back into her human form to allow the cuffs to unlock.

Rubbing her wrists she took a look around the room at a gaudy flower vase on a table, an antique Persian rug, and a small upright piano. _It looks like one of the parlors in momma's house._ She had no idea how she had gotten here the last thing she remembered...

 _A hand wrapped tightly around her throat,_

 _Another at her temple glowing with deadly pink energy,_

 _Her parents kneeling on the ground and looking upwards,_

 _Looking with hatred in their eyes at the man who owned these hands…_

Danielle stumbled and gripped the table's edge, knocking over the vase. How this could have happened? how could **he** have won? Her parents were likely imprisoned somewhere and who knows how much time had passed since then. She began to hyperventilate at the thought that her parents and aunts and uncle possibly being dead. Taking a deep breath she turned to the piano. As silly as it was, playing some kind of instrument always soothed her whenever she was on the verge of panic. Though the cover had creaked when opened and it was slightly out of key the old upright was exactly what she needed. Taking one last fortifying breath and flexing her stiff fingers, she sat down and proceeded to put all her sorrows into a song.

Maddie Fenton was always a fighter and a woman you would definitely prefer being on your side during a fight. Before the ghosts took over the world she had hunted them with a zeal that put her prey's obsessions to shame, and was known to utilize black belt level martial arts and an assortment of deadly weapons. She had gotten more bitter and hardened after both of her children went missing right before the invasion, but circumstances had finally brought her and her husband to realize that ghosts were just as emotional and advanced as humans.

Part of her always wondered what would have happened if she had acknowledged the fact that some ghosts were good and had agreed with her children about Phantom before finding out the fullest scale what he was protecting the town from.

Lost in such thoughts she nodded to her husband signaling that she was ready to take her turn guarding their mysterious prisoner when the soft sounds of piano music met her ears. Carefully opening the door she peered inside to see, instead of the female phantom lookalike, a small human girl playing the piano as tears streamed from her eyes. Quietly she put a hand to her com-link and whispered, "Fenton M to control center, you're not going to believe this."

Maddie inched further into the room, making sure to stay out of the girl's line of sight as she studied her appearance. The child was slightly malnourished but otherwise healthy, dressed in a blue hoodie with a red skirt and grey leggings. The sneakers on her feet tapped lightly in time with the song as the lights of them flickered slightly with the last dregs of battery life. Her hair was night black and pulled into a messy ponytail as her baby blue eyes shown with tears. _She looks just like Danny_ , Maddie thought and she had the unconscious urge to comfort her and dry her tears. Just as she was about to speak, Jack and the other resistance leaders burst in behind her causing the girl to jump back and instinctively transform into the mysterious ghost girl that had been locked here.


	4. Chapter 3

Everyone froze after the intrusion of Jack and the others and the sudden transformation of the girl back into the ghostly enigma that the A-listers had found. Said girl had a look in her eyes similar to the wild fear of a cornered animal and the adults in the room were worried that any sudden movement would set her off. Maddie was the first to find her voice.

"Y-you're just like him aren't you?" she half whispered, "You're Just like Vlad."

Their mysterious captive's fear had evaporated, swiftly replaced by a burning rage.

"I am NOTHING like that monster."

It had taken the better part of an hour to get everyone calmed down to the point where meaningful discussion could take place. The adults had escorted Dani to the control center, but were still wary of incurring the girl's wrath. They had interrogated her as best as they could without offending her and only received a few terse replies for their efforts.

When the A-listers and other resistance started getting in on the act the moment they entered the room, she had finally had enough.

"Alright everybody _**QUIET!**_ " the twelve-year-old screamed to the suddenly silent room. "I have just been woken up after who knows how long, and my last memories involve being held at ectoblast by a fruit loop as my family was forced to surrender. Before I answer any questions I want answers. Where am I? Who are you people? And what on earth happened after my family was imprisoned?"

At first answers weren't coming very quickly, but eventually the people of the resistance decided that, whoever she was, Danielle didn't pose that much of a threat. After about two hours of discussion both sides had shared enough information as they were willing. Dani had learned that Pariah Dark had taken over with the assistance of Vlad Masters, now revealed to be Vlad Plasmius. The resistance had formed in hopes of regaining Earth's sovereignty and later sovereignty for its new ghostly allies, but even though a long time had seemed to pass, none had aged and all personality traits had grown steadily more absent.

"The one thing that we don't understand is how Vlad Plasmius and Vlad Masters could be the same person for so long," Said Damien Gray, the elected general of the resistance, "Even now he can slip back into a human disguise and not show up on our scanners. The only other being to do that was you."

Dani shied away slightly from the General's almost accusing glare. Taking a deep breath to steady herself she spoke.

"I'm not sure how much I can tell you," Dani started, "We, well, beings like me and Vlad are incredibly rare and secretive."

"How rare and secretive?" interrupted Maddie.

"Rare enough that, including me and the fruit loop, there are only seven of us," Dani let their surprised gasps die down a bit be for continuing, "And secretive enough that before Vlad's betrayal no humans knew we existed."

Paulina decided to cut in, "Like why would you hide from every one? If I was part ghost or something I'd flaunt it."

"And that's why you wouldn't have lasted a day in our lives," Dani said suddenly angry again. "Do you have any idea what it's like to forever be trapped between life and death?"

"Well no bu-"

"To know that as much as you try to protect them as a ghost, the slightest mistake will ensure that they will never trust you? And that even as a human you will be hated and bullied?"

"But what about-"

"To hide everything about whom you are because if you don't, you will never have a moment of peace, or worse you could find yourself strapped to the table with someone who is supposed to protect you holding the scalpel?"

"Why would that be an issue?" asked Pamela Manson, "Surely no ghost hunter would be so eager to attack any ghost that resembled a loved one."

"Two of my grandparents were ghost hunters. Whenever he wasn't at school or on patrol, my dad had to listen to them talk excitedly about how they would dissect 'Phantom' while he had to pretend that nothing was wrong. If they can't tell that the ghost they want to destroy looks like their son when he's sitting across from them, why would they stop when their test subject bleeds both red and green."

Her tirade finished Danielle let out a sob "I have only existed three years, but even I know that being found out is a fate worse than death. My family had finally been able to gain some slight security before Vlad betrayed us and even then we hid ourselves from most of both worlds and protected each other. But, now they're all gone, Mommy and Daddy and Aunt Vee and Uncle T and Auntie J, They're all gone and probably dead and I don't have anyone."

Half blinded by tears Danielle didn't see the shocked looks and sympathetic faces of the people in the room. She didn't see Maddie and Pamela step forward to comfort her or the uncomfortable, guilty glances between the A-listers. All she saw was the loving faces of her family and the deadly pink of Vlad's ecto-blasts dancing in her mind as she turned and ran out the door.


End file.
